Mario and Wario
Encyclopedia
Mario & Wario is a 1993 Mario
side-scrolling puzzle video game designed by Satoshi Tajiri
and developed by Game Freak
for the Super Famicom console
. The game was released only in Japan
on August 27, 1993 and requires the SNES Mouse
accessory to play.
The gameplay of Mario & Wario focuses on guiding Mario
, who has various objects placed atop his head by his nemesis Wario
, through a series of level
s consisting of various obstacles and traps. Because Mario has been rendered sightless and is constantly in danger of walking into hazards, the player controls the fairy Wanda, who can protect Mario by changing the environment around him as he moves towards the levels' end. The game offers a total of 100 different levels and offers three playable characters.
, who has various objects, including bucket
s and vase
s, placed atop his head by the antagonist Wario
. Because the objects render Mario sightless
, it is the main goal of the player to guide Mario through each level
, which consist of various obstacles and traps, to his brother Luigi
, who can remove the offending object. The player must also complete each level within a specified time limit
. Because Mario will constantly walk left or right regardless of any oncoming hazards, the player controls the fairy
Wanda, who possesses the ability to manipulate the environment in order to protect Mario.
Wanda is controlled via a point-and-click
interface with the SNES Mouse
accessory, influencing objects on the screen when clicked. For example, Wanda can solidify block outlines for use as barriers or bridges for Mario to walk across, and can destroy certain obstacles and enemies. The player can also click Mario to turn him around and reverse his direction. The player is awarded points
for defeating enemies, collecting items, and for any remaining time when the level is completed. Extra lives may also be awarded.
Mario & Wario contains a total of 100 levels allotted amongst ten unique locales, which include forest
, desert
, and underwater
settings, each with a different offering of enemies or hazards. In addition to Mario, the player can select Princess Peach
or Yoshi
to be the character that is guided through each level. Princess Peach walks slower than Mario and Yoshi walks faster, which may offer advantages or disadvantages depending on how difficult a particular level is or how fast the player seeks to complete it.
creator Satoshi Tajiri
and developed by Game Freak
. The game's music was composed by Junichi Masuda
.
scored Mario & Wario 4 out of 5 stars, praising the colorful graphics and calling the gameplay "entertaining, being fast-paced enough to keep you constantly busy, without resorting to being fast and nearly impossible more than a couple of times."
While the game is Japan-exclusive, Mario & Wario was referenced in other Nintendo games released outside the region. The Game Boy
role-playing game
Pokémon Red and Blue
, also developed by Game Freak, allude
s to the game: checking the Super NES belonging to a non-playable character displays the message "A game with MARIO wearing a bucket on his head!" The bucket used to obscure Mario's vision is collectible both as an item in Kirby Super Star
and as a trophy in Super Smash Bros. Melee
.
Mario (series)
The video game series, alternatively called the series or simply the series, is a series of highly popular and critically acclaimed video games by Nintendo, featuring Nintendo's mascot Mario and, in many games, his brother Luigi. Gameplay in the series often centers around jumping on and...
side-scrolling puzzle video game designed by Satoshi Tajiri
Satoshi Tajiri
is a Japanese video game designer best known as the creator of Pokémon and the founder of development company Game Freak, Inc. An avid fan of arcade games, Tajiri wrote for and edited his own video gaming fanzine Game Freak with Ken Sugimori, before evolving it into a development company of the...
and developed by Game Freak
Game Freak
is a Japanese video game developer that currently creates games exclusively for Nintendo. It has developed the Pokémon series of role-playing games and several other games.-History:...
for the Super Famicom console
Video game console
A video game console is an interactive entertainment computer or customized computer system that produces a video display signal which can be used with a display device to display a video game...
. The game was released only in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
on August 27, 1993 and requires the SNES Mouse
SNES Mouse
The Super NES Mouse is a peripheral released by Nintendo in 1992 for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System . Originally designed for use with the game Mario Paint, the SNES Mouse was sold in a bundle with the game and included a plastic mouse pad...
accessory to play.
The gameplay of Mario & Wario focuses on guiding Mario
Mario
is a fictional character in his video game series, created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. Serving as Nintendo's mascot and the main protagonist of the series, Mario has appeared in over 200 video games since his creation...
, who has various objects placed atop his head by his nemesis Wario
Wario
is a fictional character in Nintendo's Mario series. The character was designed as another antagonist to Mario , and first appeared in the 1992 Game Boy title Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins as the main antagonist and final boss...
, through a series of level
Level (video gaming)
A level, map, area, or world in a video game is the total space available to the player during the course of completing a discrete objective...
s consisting of various obstacles and traps. Because Mario has been rendered sightless and is constantly in danger of walking into hazards, the player controls the fairy Wanda, who can protect Mario by changing the environment around him as he moves towards the levels' end. The game offers a total of 100 different levels and offers three playable characters.
Gameplay
Mario & Wario focuses on MarioMario
is a fictional character in his video game series, created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. Serving as Nintendo's mascot and the main protagonist of the series, Mario has appeared in over 200 video games since his creation...
, who has various objects, including bucket
Bucket
A bucket, also called a pail, is typically a watertight, vertical cylinder or truncated cone, with an open top and a flat bottom, usually attached to a semicircular carrying handle called the bail. A pail can have an open top or can have a lid....
s and vase
Vase
The vase is an open container, often used to hold cut flowers. It can be made from a number of materials including ceramics and glass. The vase is often decorated and thus used to extend the beauty of its contents....
s, placed atop his head by the antagonist Wario
Wario
is a fictional character in Nintendo's Mario series. The character was designed as another antagonist to Mario , and first appeared in the 1992 Game Boy title Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins as the main antagonist and final boss...
. Because the objects render Mario sightless
Blindness
Blindness is the condition of lacking visual perception due to physiological or neurological factors.Various scales have been developed to describe the extent of vision loss and define blindness...
, it is the main goal of the player to guide Mario through each level
Level (video gaming)
A level, map, area, or world in a video game is the total space available to the player during the course of completing a discrete objective...
, which consist of various obstacles and traps, to his brother Luigi
Luigi
is a fictional character, featured in video games and related media released by Nintendo. Created by prominent game designer Shigeru Miyamoto, Luigi is portrayed as the slightly younger fraternal twin brother of Nintendo's mascot Mario, and appears in many games throughout the Mario series,...
, who can remove the offending object. The player must also complete each level within a specified time limit
Time limit (video game terminology)
A time limit is a phrase in video game terminology that is used to make gameplay faster on the threat of losing a life. A typical time limit can range from a single second to multiple amount of minutes. Although it is possible to have a Super Mario World level with zero seconds on the timer A time...
. Because Mario will constantly walk left or right regardless of any oncoming hazards, the player controls the fairy
Fairy
A fairy is a type of mythical being or legendary creature, a form of spirit, often described as metaphysical, supernatural or preternatural.Fairies resemble various beings of other mythologies, though even folklore that uses the term...
Wanda, who possesses the ability to manipulate the environment in order to protect Mario.
Wanda is controlled via a point-and-click
Point-and-click
Point-and-click is the action of a computer user moving a cursor to a certain location on a screen and then pressing a mouse button, usually the left button , or other pointing device...
interface with the SNES Mouse
SNES Mouse
The Super NES Mouse is a peripheral released by Nintendo in 1992 for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System . Originally designed for use with the game Mario Paint, the SNES Mouse was sold in a bundle with the game and included a plastic mouse pad...
accessory, influencing objects on the screen when clicked. For example, Wanda can solidify block outlines for use as barriers or bridges for Mario to walk across, and can destroy certain obstacles and enemies. The player can also click Mario to turn him around and reverse his direction. The player is awarded points
Score (game)
In games, score refers to an abstract quantity associated with a player or team. Score is usually measured in the abstract unit of points, and events in the game can raise or lower the score of different parties...
for defeating enemies, collecting items, and for any remaining time when the level is completed. Extra lives may also be awarded.
Mario & Wario contains a total of 100 levels allotted amongst ten unique locales, which include forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
, desert
Desert
A desert is a landscape or region that receives an extremely low amount of precipitation, less than enough to support growth of most plants. Most deserts have an average annual precipitation of less than...
, and underwater
Underwater
Underwater is a term describing the realm below the surface of water where the water exists in a natural feature such as an ocean, sea, lake, pond, or river. Three quarters of the planet Earth is covered by water...
settings, each with a different offering of enemies or hazards. In addition to Mario, the player can select Princess Peach
Princess Peach
is a character in Nintendo's Mario series of video games. She is the Princess of the fictitious Mushroom Kingdom, and often plays the damsel in distress role within the adventure series. In 2007, Princess Peach landed on Forbes magazine's Wealthiest Fictional People list, with a fortune upwards of...
or Yoshi
Yoshi
, is a fictional dragon-like character who appears in video games published by Nintendo. His debut was in Super Mario World on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System as Mario and Luigi's sidekick , and he later established his own series with several platform and puzzle games, including Super...
to be the character that is guided through each level. Princess Peach walks slower than Mario and Yoshi walks faster, which may offer advantages or disadvantages depending on how difficult a particular level is or how fast the player seeks to complete it.
Development
Mario & Wario was designed by PokémonPokémon
is a media franchise published and owned by the video game company Nintendo and created by Satoshi Tajiri in 1996. Originally released as a pair of interlinkable Game Boy role-playing video games developed by Game Freak, Pokémon has since become the second most successful and lucrative video...
creator Satoshi Tajiri
Satoshi Tajiri
is a Japanese video game designer best known as the creator of Pokémon and the founder of development company Game Freak, Inc. An avid fan of arcade games, Tajiri wrote for and edited his own video gaming fanzine Game Freak with Ken Sugimori, before evolving it into a development company of the...
and developed by Game Freak
Game Freak
is a Japanese video game developer that currently creates games exclusively for Nintendo. It has developed the Pokémon series of role-playing games and several other games.-History:...
. The game's music was composed by Junichi Masuda
Junichi Masuda
is a video game composer, director, designer, producer, and programmer best known for his work on the Pokémon franchise. He is a member of the Game Freak board of directors, and has worked at the company since 1989. He helped compose the music for games like Mendel Palace and Smart Ball before...
.
Reception and Legacy
Jon Thompson of AllgameAllgame
Allgame is a commercial database of information about arcade games, video games and console manufacturers.Allgame is owned by All Media Guide, along with Allmusic and Allmovie....
scored Mario & Wario 4 out of 5 stars, praising the colorful graphics and calling the gameplay "entertaining, being fast-paced enough to keep you constantly busy, without resorting to being fast and nearly impossible more than a couple of times."
While the game is Japan-exclusive, Mario & Wario was referenced in other Nintendo games released outside the region. The Game Boy
Game Boy
The , is an 8-bit handheld video game device developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on , in North America in , and in Europe on...
role-playing game
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
Pokémon Red and Blue
Pokémon Red and Blue
Pokémon Red Version and Blue Version, originally released in Japan as , are role-playing games developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy. They are the first installments to the Pokémon series. They were first released in Japan in 1996 as Red and Green, with Blue being...
, also developed by Game Freak, allude
Allusion
An allusion is a figure of speech that makes a reference to, or representation of, people, places, events, literary work, myths, or works of art, either directly or by implication. M. H...
s to the game: checking the Super NES belonging to a non-playable character displays the message "A game with MARIO wearing a bucket on his head!" The bucket used to obscure Mario's vision is collectible both as an item in Kirby Super Star
Kirby Super Star
Kirby Super Star, known as Kirby's Fun Pak in Europe and as in Japan, is a 1996 platforming video game developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System video game console. It was first released in Japan on March 21, 1996, in North America on...
and as a trophy in Super Smash Bros. Melee
Super Smash Bros. Melee
Super Smash Bros. Melee, known in Japan as , often abbreviated as SSBM or simply as Melee, is a crossover fighting game released for the Nintendo GameCube shortly after its launch in . It is the successor to the Nintendo 64 game Super Smash Bros., and the predecessor to the Wii game Super Smash...
.
External links
- Mario and Wario (Nintendo official site; Japanese)
- Game information on GameFAQs